>> good morning and welcome to the san francisco county transportation authority meeting of tuesday october 23rd order, 2012. my name is david campos and i am the chair of the authority. madam secretary, if we can roll >> commissioner >> present. >> commissioner chu >> carmen chuy. commissioner cohen >> commissioner elsbernd >> present. >> commissioner >> commissioner >> present. >> vice chair wiener. we have quorum. >> please call item two.

approval of the minutes. >> before we take action to this item. is there a member of the public that would like to speak on item two? seeing none. public comment is closed. colleagues, you have the minutes of the meeting before you. if we can take a motion to approve the minutes. motion by commissioner avalos. seconded by commissioner farrell. we will take that without objection. >> on item two. roll call. campos, >> roll call taken. item passes.

>> if you can please call item number three. >> report, this is an information item. thank you very much. colleagues i have a very brief report today. we had two significant transportation events. on october 11th, we hosted the u.s. secretary of transportation, ray lahood as well as our house minority leader, nancy pelosi at at ceremony to mark the approval of the federal government grant for the central subway. this is a commitment of almost a billion dollars to a project that has been on i books for a very long time. we want to take this opportunity to congratulate the sfmta on reaching that important mile stone and thank everyone involved in making that funding possible. of course, including the members of the board that have been supportive for this and advocated for this project and our star that have been working

on this. secondly, on october 12th, we marked a major milestone. we have the ground breaking of the presidio park way. we were honored to have minority leader pelosi as well as the highway administrator, victor mendez and malcolm dougherty. we want to thank speaker pelosi and the project has received significant amount of money be it stimulus money to open it. the first phase opened in april. this second phase is important because it would be delivered through a public-private partnership it will rely on a concession to deliver the project on time and fixed price and operate and maintain to

specific standards for the next 30 years. so we're very pleased with this development. i think in all, we have a good month for public transportation here in the city and countiy of san francisco. we want to remind the prop k local sales tax is being used to improve the delivery of services to our residents. we're very proud of that, and i look forward to continuing the work with all of you on the commission. and again, we want to thank our staff for their tremendous work. with that, that closes my remarks. is there any member of the public that would like to speak on this? if so, please come forward. >> mr. chair, i have a few comments on what you said.

on the two projects that you tried to give a little spin so that our representatives in congress as you say, have delivered this huge sums of money. but let me remind everybody that it's taxpayers money. let me talk about the central subway. all of y'all should know that phase one of that was the third street light rail where we expanded over 700 million. that has to be tweaked. as much as we have people talking about rosy terms, that system really doesn't work. so now we have phase two, which is 1.5 miles and expanding over a billion dollars.

to be expect, over $1.6 billion. if you folks think that's something honorable, then i think we need a line item on this project. and y'all will be held accountable in the seniors, the physically challenged in this sub-- central subway project have to walk for long distances. i watched nancy pelosi used to stand for the buses. here they come, here they go. if she wants to say what's over ground and not working is going to go under ground and going to be working, you representatives have to listen to the people and there are a lot of people that really don't agree with that. but that's on you.

i worked at the presidio of san francisco and i am glad you have a witness in mr. [inaudible] who did a wonderful job on the drive. there are many phases to the drive as you understand that's federal property, but now we have a private governmental state type of collaboration to complete that project. at least there, there are bench marks and at least there you can watch the standards. on the central subway, you representatives just don't go with the flow. it's taxpayers' money, even though the representatives may think that they were involved in getting it and that the subject of transportation mr. hood really loves san francisco. it's taxpayers' money. >> thank you very much. >> thank you sir, any other member of the public that would like to speak on item three?

seeing none, public comment is done. >> if you can go back to item one. commissioner carmen chu is away today. she's on way on her honeymoon. seconded by commissioner farrell. can we take that without objection. i also want to thank mark bunch and jessie larson from sfgtv. >> executive directors report, item four >> thank you. commissioners, executive director, my report is on your desk. i have just a couple items i want to highlight. to follow on to the chair's comment about the presidio park

way. we have an interesting opportunity for the first phase, opened to traffic at the end of april and it's essentially the southbound lanes. and the northbound half of project, which is almost a mirror image of what has been built is what is delivered now as a public-private partnership. it gives us a textbook example or opportunity to do an analysis side by side, a comparison of how long it took and how much it cost and the challenges of the first half traditionally versus the second half in an innovative way. we're looking at the possibility of bringing this as a potential study with a collaboration most likely of a higher learning, one

of the universities that has a strong infrastructure program so that we can not just do the comparison, but use this to shed light on the entire state infrastructure program. the state is at a cross roads in terms of funding for transportation, the nation is looking for models that might work. that's what minority leader, pelosi said at the time of the ground breaking and this is the time to provide that information. an opportunity that will not present itself in such a clean way because in most cases, you're transferring the lessons of one project to another project and this is an opportunity to do a comparison side by side. i give you a recommendation on this in early in the next year. in terms of other studies and issues that we're dealing with, there's been a considerable

amount of progress on the 19th avenue transit study. you may recall that's a study to try to move the light rail service from the center of the street to the west side integrate it more with land use changing happening there. they were a set of key meetings that happened with the folks that managed the stone sound galleria and san francisco state. there continues to be progress on that. i am very, very interested in the study. there's going to be a seminole effort to reshape that part of town and really increase the potential for transit ridership and bicycle-pedestrian safety in that part of town. we will complete that in the

summer of 2013. for the interested members of public. we have quite a bit of member on sfc sf sfcc -- sfcta.org. this is work that will extend through the fall. the other thing that is a good piece of progress. we have completed the members for the ballpark stationary study. i am thankful to the board for that to validate the progress of the study. the study does also have a website, sfcta.org/balboa. the cac will meet regularly now

that it's fully constituted. there's progress on the bay view hunter's point study. we convened the second of six monthly meetings of the mobility study working group. during the month of october, during the october meeting, the working group prioritized the mobility gaps in that area and also potential solution categories, and next month, the study team will present a set of initial strategies and a business plan for that area. the third meeting the take place at 1601 lane street november 13th at 10:00 a.m.. we invite the public to attend that. we have an active call for projects on the, one bay area grant. the o-bag grant, $35 million of

grants that will be spread over projects for the next four years and this includes bicycle and pedestrian improvements. local streets and roads. safety to school and transportation for communities type projects. the o-bag applications are due at our offices on october 26th. the end of this week essentially. we have developed a two-part call for projects with first park consisting of the prioritization of staff and selection of a pool of potential projects. those then that will happen by december, of course with your blessing and after that, we will work with the sponsoring of the projects which will still be essentially a rough

semifinalists list and hone in on the aspects of the list and further detail them to put them through a final evaluation and from that, select a final group of recommended projects that will come to the board for discussion and hopefully approval. so the following several months will be the opportunity to get that done. and we will apply the screening and prioritization criteria to have that list in shape by may-june of next year. that of course, will be as the whole obag process is a new paradigm and experiment in how to distribute funding from the region to the counties with ultimately, a blessing at mtc by june 30th of next year. the san francisco transportation plan has also reached some major

milestones. you saw a presentation of the planned process last meeting here. after that, we launched a major outreach effort. there is now a new experiment involving people in the process where we propose that they create their own transportation budget and essentially using the 3-1/2 or so billion dollars in discretionary funds for the life of the plan to decide how to prioritize it if they were san francisco's transportation king for a day. the tool is an online budget tool, people who are interested should go to sfcta.org/my budget and play with it and come up with their own priorities. we had a great deal of interest in this. more than 300 people have submitted their ideas through the tool and it's still going

on. we expect that we will be able to bring back the initial recommendations to you at the november 20th meeting. and the next meeting of the county-san francisco plan advisory committee is november 28th at 6:00 p.m. at our offices. people are of course invited to attend that as well. the last is our progress report on our commercial paper. you approved a change in the letter of credit that we have supporting the commercial paper program away from the lbbw bank, the german bank to wells fargo. that already showing major benefits. the cost of that letter of credit has essentially been reduced in half.

still a far cry to have money in a bond and have the flexibility of the commercial paper. that was, i think, a very good outcome for us at this point, and i want to thank cynthia fong, our deputy for finance and administration for helping us shepherd through that process to have a smaller cost of doing business. that concludes my report. i will be happy to answer questions. >> thank you, colleagues any questions for our executive director? seeing none, we will open up to the public. anyone that would like to speak on the executive director's report please come forward. >> this item is item just for information. so it gives me an opportunity to give some information on some

points. as far as the balboa station is concerned, i see the representative present here. i think you should push for the balboa station somehow connecting with the third street light rail. now it begins at fourth and king and ends at the middle of visitation nowhere. the san francisco county transportation authority did play a role in it and think that's fine. you spent $700 million. starts at fourth and king and ends in the middle of visitation valley in no man's land. it's high time that whenever balboa station is mentioned, you

are really a transit-first city, we connect balboa train station with visitation valley. the second point i want to make is on this so-so called mobility study. new right, the transportation system especially any of the buses that go up to hunter's point is very precarious. and this has been going on for many, many years. over 15 years. but in the last three years, it's despicable. you do not know who are the focus groups gathering to talk about some mobility program, but as far as the really plight of the people, something has to be

done. and that's one of the ways where [inaudible] is fostered. the sfcta, loves to talk the talk, but cannot walk the walk. finally, i saw this thing in the bus that you be a czar for a day and now to the year 12-2040, you can spend $64 billion. we are not dealing with monopoly and those type of gimmicks. it's a shame our streets are pathetic. our transportation has to be tweaked and we have to be serious about our roads and transportation system. thank you very much. >> thank you very much. is there anybody member of the public that would like to speak on the executive director

report, please come forward. >> good afternoon, supervisors. government transportation. what has it done for this city? in the last 10 years. as it really made any citizen's life better? san francisco was renowned for its public transportation for years which had traffic calming, which had character and culture. the public transportation system in this city is to die for. i was hit by a muni bus, rear ended coming back from a yoga class. now my arms are paralyzed.

do you think the city and county of san francisco compensated me for that accident? no. they didn't. ripped me off. that's what they're doing to every citizen in this city with government transportation. can't get from one end of the city to the next without hitting a traffic jam. the drivers that drive these vehicles, way undertrained. shouldn't even be driving most of them. it's all a big compromise. if you can't see that, you're blind, numb or dead. san francisco's public transportation is a blight. hardly anybody in this city is happy with it. but you seem to think that you can throw it on us at the expense of our culture and wave life just because you think that we need it that way. nobody in this city wants that

type of public transportation. we're used to having public transportation that we're involved in that represents our culture. the crap you're throwing down our throats doesn't do anybody any good. thank you very much. >> thank you. is there anybody member of the public that would like to see? seeing none. >> madam clerk, please call item five. >> authorize the executive direct or to fund all agreements and any amendments there two between the county of transportation and the city. this is an action item. >> this was forwarded without recommendation from the finance committee. vice chair wiener. >> first, i have a procedural question. as the chairman noted this was forwarded from the finance

committee without recommendation. although that is noted on the resolution, on the actual agenda, it is an error on the agenda and are we able to act on this today given that was an error on the agenda? >> mr. executive director. >> yes. thank you for the question, vice chair wiener. i just checked with legal council under the brown act, the item is adequately described in terms of what the purpose of the item is. the category that you're referring to is not actually a direct statement in the item. there is a category called recommendations of the finance committee typically what we have is recommendations for action that match what the recommendation was at the

committee. the recommendation in this case was to have the item brought to the board without a specific action. but there was a recommendation by the committee to move it forward. it's not positive in terms of action. but to have the item considered. >> actually, the action of the committee was to forward it to the board, but there was no recommendation. i'm not trying to be nit picky, but when a committee of the authority actually says we're doing this without recommendation, the agenda state it. the staff recommended, but the committee did not. that needs to be, if staff needs to change itself agendizing approach, so be it. when the authority does it without recommendation, that be clearly stated on the agenda. >> comment noted, commissioner

wiener, we'll make a special change the item to reflect the recommendation. it's stated in the resolution. >> as i said. yeah. >> thank you. and i just want to, so thank you for that, mr. executive director. colleagues, when this came before the committee and provides fairly broad authority delegation to the executive director to execute certain agreements and we had a discussion at the committee level about this issue because several weeks ago or the month ago when we were sitting with the board of supervisors and developing a strategy, there was an amendment made that five members of this board supported to eliminate the ability of the successor redevelopment agency to delegate any authority to staff.

on its face, it would have arguably required that commission to approve the purchase of pencils or papers. it was a rather dramatic amendment and this board rejected by 6-5 vote. given that preference apparently, expressed by five members of this body, the committee believed it would be appropriate to flag that issue for the full authority given that this is a delegation of pretty significant scope for these agreements to staff. so, i will be supporting this today as i did support the appropriateness of delegating to the successor agency, but we did want to flag the agency. >> thank you, commissioner wiener. colleagues, are there any comments? why don't we open up to public comment.

>> on this item, let me state something. thank god we have the brown act. and thank god we used to have the sunshine task force. and thank god, even though it doesn't work perfectly, we have the ethices committee. i saw this because i'm one of few that come to the san francisco transportation authority to this meeting, but to the subcommittee meetings. i saw one of the employees of san francisco county authoritying handing -- authority handing over the checks. so you do get something. any committee that